Restaurants in Kolkata are coming up with posters and other modes of campaign to highlight the perils of drink driving.
At Chapter 2 on Southern Avenue in south Kolkata, a poster has a hazy stop sign. “Alcohol may blur your decisive mind. Drink responsibly,” says a message.
“We have come out with a creative which will be placed on our tables and also shown on TV screens inside the restaurant. We will promote this message across our social media handles and even performers will urge patrons at regular intervals to abstain from drink driving,” said Shiladitya and Debaditya Chaudhury, partners, Chapter 2.
Lord of the Drinks, in South City Mall, has a new shiny board at the entrance with “Drink Responsibly” written on it.
Many restaurants that serve liquor have been urging patrons to drink responsibly for some time. But the campaign has got traction following a series of recent developments.
Some owners said they are in the process of replacing old posters and other collaterals with new ones.
“The communication has to be direct and in your face, in a way that a patron cannot miss it,” said one of them.
An order from Lalbazar on January 4 had directed bars and restaurants serving liquor to conduct breathalyser tests on patrons before they leave the establishments to curb drink driving.
The order prompted dismay and confusion among bar owners and patrons. They said they could not tell customers off and that such actions could lead to law-and-order problems.
On January 9, two teams, representing two associations of restaurateurs, met joint police commissioner (headquarters) Subhankar Sinha Sarkar at Lalbazar.
The breathalyser test on patrons is not mandatory, a senior officer told The Telegraph after the meeting. A revised notification saying so will be sent to the bars soon, the police had said.
Amit Bajoria, of the Lord of the Drinks outlet in South City Mall, said a new shiny board with “Drink Responsibly” written on it has replaced an old one bearing the same message at the entrance.
“We have also kept a couple of drivers on standby. If anyone is too drunk, we will offer him to be driven home by one of our drivers. We will not charge anything for the service,” said Bajoria.
At Air 1910, the promotional posters of upcoming events — “EDM and Techno Night”, for example — contain a statutory warning: “Party Sensibly, Drive Responsibly”.
The accompanying image is that of a car crashing into a giant wine glass.
“We have to come up with direct and brief messages. The attention span of young people is very brief,” said Anirudh Poddar, co-owner of Air 1910 on Camac Street.
Nitin Kothari, owner of Mocambo, Peter cat and Peter Hu?, said he was getting “drink responsibly” message printed on the bar menu.
Bus hits bike on CR Avenue
A 26-year-old motorcyclist and a 46-year-old pillion rider were injured after a private bus hit the two-wheeler on Chittaranjan Avenue on Wednesday afternoon, police said.
Palash Narayan Roy and Aliah Biwi were taken to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital where they were treated and later discharged, the police said.
The police arrested the bus driver and seized the vehicle.
